the heart wants what the heart wants
by CreepyCoincidence
Summary: (COMPLETE. One-shot) A small town girl no longer wants her small town world. "I fell in love with the Monster, Elena." Klaroline. Set after the 4th season, ignoring mostly everything apart from "He is your first love. I intend to be your last." Includes the Originals, with absolutely no spoilers. Caroline seeks Klaus out. He made a promise to her, after all.


A small-town girl needs more than a small-town world.

.

.

.

Klaus leaves.

Caroline doesn't know what to say.

.

.

.

Tyler comes back.

His hair has grown longer, his smile is blindingly white as always, and Caroline… Caroline can't help but drape herself around him, soothing the ache in her chest that has been present for so damn long; it's basically made a permanent hole in her heart. Tyler laughs as he hugs her back, but in his eyes, she detects wariness.

But of course he's wary. Klaus has promised to leave him alone. And all for her. _Always_ for her. He loves her. He loves her and he offered her a first class ticket to New Orleans with him and she refuted it for this… For Tyler. Caroline fervently hopes he gets that.

"_He is your first love. I intend to be your last."_

The words haunt her always, the hole in her chest never leaves, and sometimes, even though she'll never admit it to anyone, Caroline dreams of dimples. She dreams of that stubble, those eyes, that smile, and she dreams of the way he says '…love'.

That is always the moment she wakes up. She wakes up to him saying 'love' in his deep, deep voice, and she is lost once again. Sweetheart. Love. Caroline. _Caroline_. _Caroline?_

In that brief second, she imagines him sleeping next to her, one arm wrapped across her middle, the other pulling her flush to his chest. She almost mouths his name, the brief expel of air as she says, "K—"

Then she reminds herself it is Tyler.

She will forever deny that her heart constricts. Just a bit, just too much.

_Niklaus Mikaelson._

It is so wrong that even his name sounds hot to her. His accent enthralls her. His eyes pull her in. The rippling strength in his arms kills her just a little, because every time he is near, she has to remind herself that he can kill her with just a single sweep of his arms, and isn't that just a bit hot?

But then, she reminds herself firmly, Tyler is no less. It is wicked of her to be attracted to men who are just a bit more powerful, a bit more intelligent, a bit more mocking than her sweet, lovable Tyler who wakes her up with a kiss on her eyes and a peck on her lips.

"_You could have a thousand more birthdays, all you have to do is ask."_

It is wicked of her to be more turned on by a single kiss on her cheek (her CHEEK!) more than the kisses Tyler peppers her with everywhere.

_"Take a chance, talk to me, get to know me. I dare you."_

Why does she want to know a monster?

"I know that you're in love with me…and anybody capable of love is capable of being saved."

Yes. That is why.

.

.

.

Tyler is going crazier by the second.

He calls her out every time her eyes drift off into space, he yells at her when she doesn't respond to his attempts of cozying up, he accuses her when she gets up in the morning with passion in her eyes and a slight pain in her chest. Try as she might, Tyler knows her, he knows them, and more importantly, he knows Klaus.

He knows that absence has somehow made her heart fond of him (I fancy you.)

He knows that she misses the Big, Bad Original.

He knows that she sometimes cries at night with the shower on because these feelings are wrong, and she doesn't want to feel them, and she doesn't know what to do.

They meet up in Elena's new house, and when she drifts off (again), all she gets is:

"Barbie," Damon says a little nastily, "come out of your little fantasy, will you?"

"Caroline," Elena says a little carefully, "are you alright?"

"Car," Stefan says quietly, "is there anything I can do to help?"

Matt merely shrugs and looks upset, Tyler looks furious as he stomps out of the house, and all of a sudden, Caroline is done with their drama.

"No, I'm not alright," she says finally, breaking her intense stare with the floor to look up. "No, you can't help." She obviously doesn't bother replying to Damon who's been drinking bourbon since she has stepped into the house. "Elena, I—I—" and to her utter mortification, tears start building up in her eyes. The sob that comes out next isn't dry, and suddenly, Elena (the _good_ friend) is there next to her, pulling Caroline into a hug as she lets the waterworks loose.

"What happened? Did Tyler hurt you?" Elena asks worriedly, chewing on her lower lip, and Caroline can't bring herself to meet her eyes.

"I—I fell in love with the Monster, Elena."

.

.

.

Caroline is packing her bags with a dogged determination that even Tyler can't manage to shake. Their breakup needed no words; they needed no explanations because everything is clear to them. Caroline's wet eyes, her lowered gaze, her obsession with a bracelet (of all things), Tyler knows it all. He has seen her jerk awake at night with pain in her eyes, he has seen her drift off into a fantasy when they reach _those_ places, and he has seen her smile widely whenever she sees a horse.

Klaus is the unspoken word between them, and it hurts Caroline how he's the villain again in everyone's eyes. As if it was his fault she couldn't control herself enough. As if he (the thought is laughable) ever influences her decisions.

But she reckons she and Tyler have had a good haul since he's gone. Five years of the small town life of a small town girl. Tyler shouldn't be this sad. They both knew they would never last.

(because she thinks of dimples, and wicked men with wicked thoughts in their wicked eyes. She misses the charcoal drawings that contrast so widely with her pale skin, she misses his deep, melodious voice that makes her blood sing and her lips smile, she misses his gentlemanly words, quite the opposite of his volatile nature, Klaus, Klaus with his glamour and his charm and his perfect eyes, and deep smile, and damn those dimples—)

"Caroline, are you sure about this?"

She turns around to face her best friend with an unsure smile. "No. I'm not." Elena's placating smile drops. "But I'll never know unless I try."

"And if he doesn't want you back?" Elena asks in a small voice.

Caroline looks up to the ceiling. "Then I'll follow him around… because I don't know any better."

"He'll kill you, Blondie."

She turns to face Damon with a hand on her hip. "Listen, _Damon_, shut the fuck up about things that don't concern you, okay? Nobody needs your stupid comments."

Damon surprisingly shuts up, but it probably has more to do with Elena's reproachful look than Caroline's cutting words. Ignoring them both, she shuts the lid on her small suitcase and walks to the living room, where Tyler, Matt and Stefan stand, each with varied expressions on their faces.

Matt is upset, Tyler is helpless, and Stefan, her good friend Stefan just looks at her with a small smile on his face as if he can understand why she's doing this. He probably can. Stefan is just that good.

"Well then." Caroline says finally, breaking the tense silence, "I'll be off."

Elena shuts her eyes. "Will you come back?"

"Will you even be here if I do?"

There is a pause, and they all know what Caroline is referring to. Vampires don't age, and the difference is slowly becoming noticeable. Matt lets out a small wince, as if he's been avoiding this thought since forever, and Tyler fucking growls.

"Just go and live your life with your precious Klaus. We all know you aren't coming back!"

Caroline closes her eyes in exasperation too. "Tyler… Stop being dramatic."

"I'm not being fucking dramatic. He's in your head, Caroline! For all we know, he probably compelled you too! You could never love a monster… I know you can't!"

The cutting words are finally out, the ones they left unspoken.

"The Monster saved my life, Tyler."

"He put you in danger in the first place!"

"He loves me."

All the fight drops out of the hybrid. "So do I."

A single tear falls out of her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are."

Stefan hugs her, she hugs Matt, Elena pulls her into a crushing embrace, Tyler settles for a kiss on her cheek, and Damon… Well, Damon shakes her hand maturely, and says, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

In that moment, she is grateful to him, for he says what she needs to hear the most. Then he ruins it by adding: "Because none of _us_ want to be your little projects."

Briefly, Caroline considers punching him, but her love for Elena stays her hand. That, and the fact that he would probably punch her back. Damon isn't really a gentleman, despite what Elena might think. He proved that when he compelled her to love him.

Instead, she gives him her best glare, straightens her shoulders, and steps out of the house, ignoring the mother who cries upstairs for her daughter who really isn't her daughter anymore.

.

.

.

She doesn't end up in New Orleans.

She goes to Tokyo.

She roams the streets with interest, noticing the differently shaped paths, she traces the language with the tip of her tongue, she dances under the falling cherry blossoms… She visits all the major tourist sites, she goes shopping in Shinjuku, she frequents night clubs and raids hospitals for blood bags.

She doesn't find it as exciting as she thought she would.

Sure, it's beautiful, and tourist guides are the best things known to her, but she doesn't know of the secret alleyways, the paths that only Klaus could show her, the beauty of Tokyo through his eyes…

Disneyland is fucking awesome, though.

She takes a picture next to the Castle, attaches it to a message and sends it to Elena, adding a cheerful text at the bottom,

_I'm in Tokyo. It's beautiful. I wish you were here with me._

And then because she's pathetic and neurotic, she adds, _I'm scared he won't want me anymore_.

In that instant, within a span of two minutes, Elena replies, "Have you considered calling him?"

She calls him from a different number.

He picks up and says, "Hello?" in that deep, charming accent of his.

Caroline's back slides across the wall as she falls down as if someone has cut her strings. She breathes in, taking comfort in the fact that he can hear her breathing, just as she can hear the silence from his side.

She cuts the phone.

And the dial tone sounds a little like despair.

.

.

.

She visits Rome.

The locals are charming, the Colosseum is beautiful, and for a brief span of time, she manages to forget Niklaus and his (empty?) promises. In St Peter's Basilica, a man around 20 approaches her with easy intent in his eyes and grace in his steps. He bows before her, extends a charming hand, and without over thinking it, Caroline accepts it.

He spends the day showing her the cobbled stone steps, the bright arches, the pretty fountains and makes her laugh. His name is Nathan, and she is quite fond of him by the night. Then he makes a move on her and she steps back with sad eyes. Nathan just smiles sadly.

"I figured you were broken."

He leaves her in front of her hotel with a brief kiss on her knuckles which made her grin a little.

That night, she messages Klaus from her Rome number.

_I met a guy today. He reminds me of you. _

One minute later, her phone rings, and Klaus is demanding pensively, "Who are you?"

She doesn't reply, again.

This time, he cuts the phone. But she gets to listen to his beautiful voice a bit more when he curses aloud.

.

.

.

Caroline is in New York City.

She runs into Stefan, of all people, in New York City.

No, she runs into Stefan _and_ Rebekah in New York City, and she cannot help but let the gasp escape her.

Stefan gives her an amused smile. "You're not the only one who fell for an Original."

And Rebekah smiles, as if this simple declaration has made her day, as if it is the reason the sun shines for her and lights up her pretty blonde hair. They are holding hands in Times Square and walking together—and Caroline thinks, 'what the hell?' before joining them.

"So, how've you been?" Stefan asks.

"And where's my narcissist brother?" Rebekah asks.

Caroline pauses for a moment, before replying, "I haven't met him yet."

Rebekah smirks. "I thought so. I was in New Orleans for the past year till this idiot showed up and whisked me away."

Stefan rolls his eyes. "You practically begged me to come with you."

"Well, Klaus and his little kingdom are a bit too intense sometimes."

"Kingdom?!" Caroline squeaks, interrupting their little conversation, eyes wide.

The blonde Original smirks again. "There's a lot you don't know about New Orleans, girl."

Caroline turns to Stefan. "What kingdom?"

Stefan clears his throat. "Nothing special, really. Just Klaus and a few vampires to do his bidding. It's all very blasé."

Caroline pauses, and considers asking them if Klaus… if Klaus has a new lover, but then decides against it. Maybe it's time to face the Monster head on. Especially if he has a kingdom.

Stefan shows her New York City, and she tries not judging him for his relationship with Rebekah as he does so.

All of them have red in their ledger.

Rebekah calls up Klaus for some little, unimportant matter, and Caroline shamelessly strains her vampire hearing to catch every note of his voice.

Thankfully, on Stefan's behest, she never mentions Caroline.

.

.

.

Caroline finally reaches New Orleans.

Her stomach swoops painfully as she walks into the city, steps into a bar, and sits down on a stool, ignoring the glances that come her way.

A pretty young bartender takes her order for a Cosmo and as she is preparing it, a man sits on the vacant seat next to Caroline. A few moments later, a paper slides in front of her.

_Unless you want to die painfully, I suggest you follow me._

Well, so it seems they know she's a vampire.

She gets up casually, paying the bartender for the drink she didn't really get to have, and follows the dark haired man outside, and if concentrates really well, she can imagine it is Klaus, showing her new places, new faces, new—

Her windpipe is being choked as she is pressed against the wall.

"Who is she?"

"New blood."

"Well, then don't hang around! Take her to the Boss."

The dark haired man who she has followed grins wildly, "I just want her to know that I'm the Boss first."

The other vampire who she really cannot see because it is dark scoffs audibly and stretches. "Listen, Blondie, follows us quietly, okay? Any quick moves and I'll pull out your heart and claw your eyes."

He's as charming as Damon, which means Caroline hates him already, but nevertheless, she manages a small sound of assent.

Turns out, they were too tired to make her follow anyone, so she gets her neck snapped.

.

.

.

When she wakes up, the dark haired one is ready to pull her to her feet, and drag her into a lavish room, while announcing, "The new vampire we found, Boss."

She gets thrown forward, but manages to right herself at the last moment.

Caroline raises her eyes slowly.

And there is it, the back she can never forget, and the muscles she dreams of. Klaus has his back to her, which means he hasn't seen her face yet, but Caroline is okay with that, because she is already crying. Tears pool around her eyes, and they have never looked flattering on her, which is why she tries to rein them in.

"She's already crying," an amused voice remarks, making Caroline realize that she and Klaus aren't the only ones in the room. There's another woman with them, a beautiful one with dark brown tresses and clear brown eyes. She's wearing nothing but a flimsy nightgown, and Caroline's eyes snap to Klaus' back in betrayal.

Idly, she wonders if she wished for a stake, it would appear in her hands.

"Is she?" Klaus asks, amused, before turning around, and _freezing_.

Caroline meets his eyes with a calm she doesn't feel.

"You promised to show me the world."

His voice is soft, so soft and so delicious when he replies, "I did."

She squares her shoulders. "I see you're too busy to be doing that, anyway. I'm just going to leave." With that, she spins around—

And meets his chest as he pulls her into a hug.

"I will never let you go again, _love_," he whispers into her ears, causing the tears to well up again, "I have waited for this moment for a long time."

Caroline sniffs unbecomingly. "You promised to wait forever."

"And I did," he sounds confused.

She looks accusingly at the beautiful woman who reminds her of Elena –too many boys have chosen Elena over her, and if he does it too, she doesn't know what she'll do—burn—rage—die?

Klaus roars with laughter at that, pulling her forward into his arms once again when she tries to move away, offended. His baby-blues dance at her, his lips curl, and his dimples are visible again, which makes Caroline want to kiss him—she wants it so bad—

He kisses her.

When they pull back, she whispers, "I'm going to stay."

And Klaus smiles with the laziness of a man who has all the time in the world to dazzle the girl in front of him.

The problem is, Caroline is already dazzled.

.

.

.

"Caroline—my Caroline, so strong, so full of light, so beautiful—"

She arches her back beneath him, remembering a certain saying_… _

_Choose your words wisely._

"I love you."

He stiffens.

Then: "You are my undoing—and my salvation."

.

.

.

**A/N: I honestly have no idea where this came from. All I know is that I sat down, and wham-bam-ma'am. But Klaroline and love. **

**Any guesses for the dark-haired beautiful woman?**

**(Totes ignored Cami and the Silas drama, and the Tyler drama, yes.)**

**Reviews may result in more Klaroline.**


End file.
